JCWP HOMEOWNERS:BETTY AND SEFF POLK
"It's been a great experience this week," says Betty Polk. "It's hard work, but it's been fun and every drop of sweat is worth it."
She and her husband, Seff, learned about Habitat for Humanity when a neighbor brought them an application to become one of the 100 homeowner families selected for this year's Jimmy Carter Work Project. "We just filled it out and sent it in," Betty says. "Initially, we thought, 'We'll just do it and see what happens.'"
"I kept the faith," laughs Seff, rolling paint onto the walls of what will be one of the bedrooms in their new house. The Polks will live with their two children, Trena and Jason, and their granddaughter Latrice.
"We've been making great friends," says Betty of her volunteer crew. "They're just like a flower, you know? It's great to be with people who have compassion. As long as there are people like that, their petals will never fall."
Betty hopes that other families needing decent housing will apply to Habitat. "I want them to know that this is a blessed opportunity," she says, "just don't let it pass you up. It's like God reaching down and saying, 'Here.' It's God's love, and a new foundation for the family."
The experience also has given her a whole new set of skills. "I've learned so much I could go out there and build me another little house," Betty says. "I was thinking later on down the road we'll get the chance to take a Habitat trip, to go somewhere and help build... when you're blessed, you need to pass it on."